Colorado Secretary of State releases another notary tutorial

DENVER, June 27, 2016 -- Colorado Secretary of State Wayne Williams today released the second eLearning tutorial aimed at providing notaries with continuing education and self-training opportunities.

The latest training is aimed at international documents, including those for overseas adoptions and exiting and reentering the United States.

"Tutorials like these can increase notary public efficiency and effectiveness," said Abbas Montoya, notary program manager for the Secretary of State's office. "Properly completed notarial acts provide more opportunity for an individual to conduct international business, while decreasing the natural stress associated with these major life events."

A notary's duty is to screen the signers of important documents - such as property deeds, wills and powers of attorney - for their true identity, their willingness to sign without duress or intimidation, and their awareness of the contents of the document or transaction, according to the National Notary Association.

Two types of authentications are outlined in the latest training: an apostille and a magistrate certificate.

The Apostille Convention is an international treaty that certifies a document issued in one country party to the Hague Convention for use in another country also party to the convention. The apostille certifies that a notary -- or other state officer -- has a current, valid commission and has performed their duties within the law. Countries that have not signed the Hague Convention still require foreign legal documents to be certified for their use. Documents going to these countries will be certified with a magistrate certificate.

The first tutorial, released in February, focused on a notary's official signature and why it is important.

Notary tutorial: Go to the Colorado Secretary of State website at www.state.co.us, and under "Programs & Services" see the "Notary public" entry. Click on that, then click on "Tutorials" under "Training & testing."